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The Creative Gardener: Inspiration and Advice to Create the Space You Want
Clever ideas and imaginative solutions from BBC Gardeners' World host Adam Frost to help you transform your garden, element by element, into a personalized dream space.
Adam shows how small plantings, design flourishes, hands-on creative projects, and simple hard landscaping projects can help transform your garden. Taking an artisan's approach to his own garden, Adam emphasizes how you too can find inspiration and turn it into a garden feature, how to personalize your ideas - using what you already have - and upcycling. There's something to suit everyone's taste, space, and budget.
Each project starts with Adam's inspiration, and then walks the reader through how he created the end product with clear step-by-step photography and instructions. Adam shows that inspiration doesn't have to come from other gardens. In fact, for him, it rarely does. It could be a natural feature such as a heap of wood, something you already own, or a salvage yard item you can upcycle. With a little work and a dash of imagination, you can create something truly personal in the garden and create the atmosphere you want, while developing your skills and enjoying the creative process.
Well known for his straightforward, clear presentation, and his award-winning design ideas, Adam combines these skills to offer realistic, achievable, impactful suggestions for transforming your space. Element by element, a weekend at a time, he can help you create the garden you've always wanted.
Adam shows how small plantings, design flourishes, hands-on creative projects, and simple hard landscaping projects can help transform your garden. Taking an artisan's approach to his own garden, Adam emphasizes how you too can find inspiration and turn it into a garden feature, how to personalize your ideas - using what you already have - and upcycling. There's something to suit everyone's taste, space, and budget.
Each project starts with Adam's inspiration, and then walks the reader through how he created the end product with clear step-by-step photography and instructions. Adam shows that inspiration doesn't have to come from other gardens. In fact, for him, it rarely does. It could be a natural feature such as a heap of wood, something you already own, or a salvage yard item you can upcycle. With a little work and a dash of imagination, you can create something truly personal in the garden and create the atmosphere you want, while developing your skills and enjoying the creative process.
Well known for his straightforward, clear presentation, and his award-winning design ideas, Adam combines these skills to offer realistic, achievable, impactful suggestions for transforming your space. Element by element, a weekend at a time, he can help you create the garden you've always wanted.
- GenresGardeningNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published May 24, 2022
About the author
Adam Frost
7 books4 followersA regular host on BBC TV's Gardeners' World, Adam Frost has seven Chelsea Gold Medals to testify to his skill as a gardener.
After a childhood in North London and almost a decade working with legendary British gardener Geoff Hamilton, Adam set up his own international garden design consultancy in 1996, followed by the Adam Frost Gardening School in 2017. In 2013, he helped set up the Homebase Garden Academy, which prepares 80 of the retailer's young employees every year for the Royal Horticultural Society's Level 1 award, and in 2014 he became an RHS Ambassador, helping raise the profile of gardening among secondary-school students and community groups.
After a childhood in North London and almost a decade working with legendary British gardener Geoff Hamilton, Adam set up his own international garden design consultancy in 1996, followed by the Adam Frost Gardening School in 2017. In 2013, he helped set up the Homebase Garden Academy, which prepares 80 of the retailer's young employees every year for the Royal Horticultural Society's Level 1 award, and in 2014 he became an RHS Ambassador, helping raise the profile of gardening among secondary-school students and community groups.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 10, 2023
Filled with inspiration and detailed building plans, this book is a great guide for anyone seeking to personalize their garden space and make it special. Lovely layouts and photos. Not much on plant selection but offers spring/summer plant grouping suggestions and lots of project construction photos. Includes wood carving which is a unique touch. For creative types with a yen to try something different this is worth a look but also, projects may be a bit daunting without experience and tools.
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December 20, 2022"It doesn't matter if it takes you a weekend or three years to finish it, when you make something, you also create memories, and this is what gives your garden personality and soul."
"A few pots near a gateway or a pause point in the garden add layers to your movement around the space."
"[for Green Roof Log Store] ... and I've experimented with the Japanese technique of charring the wood, called shou sugi ban (also known as yakisugi), to blacken and protect the surface."
“What I really love about this log seating is that, over time, the logs will ever so gradually rot down, then disappear back into the earth, leaving nothing behind.”
"A few pots near a gateway or a pause point in the garden add layers to your movement around the space."
"[for Green Roof Log Store] ... and I've experimented with the Japanese technique of charring the wood, called shou sugi ban (also known as yakisugi), to blacken and protect the surface."
“What I really love about this log seating is that, over time, the logs will ever so gradually rot down, then disappear back into the earth, leaving nothing behind.”
January 14, 2023
Great and useful photography! DIY garden accoutrements, including thorough lists of tools and materials. Ahead of those are container plants and arrangements with recommended soil mixes and step-by-step instructions for planting.
December 23, 2022
A creative collection of ideas for garden improvements. I enjoyed Frost's mellow vibe, although the building projects here seem more advanced than the average garden enhancement, with lots of surveying and heavy woodworking.
I haven't tried any of the projects yet, so I can't speak to issues in the plans or final product, but I thought his obelisk and tool chest examples were appealing. The book tends more to the "art" side of gardening, and it can be a bit precious too: there are also some custom measurements for homebrew potting soil that I'm never likely to follow. That said, I liked Frost's big-picture perspectives and nuts-and-bolts blueprints.
I haven't tried any of the projects yet, so I can't speak to issues in the plans or final product, but I thought his obelisk and tool chest examples were appealing. The book tends more to the "art" side of gardening, and it can be a bit precious too: there are also some custom measurements for homebrew potting soil that I'm never likely to follow. That said, I liked Frost's big-picture perspectives and nuts-and-bolts blueprints.
April 2, 2023
Basically this book is about home made hardscape for your garden. It includes how to instructions for the beginner to make benches, fences and other hardscape. The beginning of the book includes a ridiculously long list of tools that the user "should" have at hand to make these items, none of which are electric! Adam Frost talks about reuse, recycle, but then fails to have any projects related to this except one where he buys a perfectly good set of table and chairs and repaints it. The projects are heavy on the use of wood of nonstandard dimensions, which will be expensive for beginners to use.
March 13, 2024
Several nice projects. Love the wood carved bench slab and the log with carved edges. Both would make great heirloom type garden projects. Also the covered bed and some other regular projects are just a little bit better than the usual, yet still doable by a rookie handy type person - (maybe even me) - and that is what you want in a DIY book - approachable projects!
This is a relaxed yet stylish enough approach for the urban gardener - short on space, big on impact.
Photos are informative and good looking but not overly styled or meant to be intimidating.
Plus I can already think of a couple of people who would enjoy this book.
This is a relaxed yet stylish enough approach for the urban gardener - short on space, big on impact.
Photos are informative and good looking but not overly styled or meant to be intimidating.
Plus I can already think of a couple of people who would enjoy this book.
February 6, 2023
I've enjoyed watching Adam on Gardeners' World and the RHS programs, so this book is very much in his laid-back, calm style. He gives detailed instructions for soft and hardscape projects, some of which seem to be a little more advanced than others. Good book for inspiration.
June 2, 2022
I doubt I’ll ever make any of the things in this book but I enjoyed reading the clear, well-illustrated explanations of how and why Adam builds them
April 28, 2023
DIY'ers, and fans of reuse, recycle, and reclaim, will enjoy tackling a few of these projects.
May 9, 2024
Nothing useful or interesting for me and my garden.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews